Taizé monks, in Austin, discuss appeal among young adults

Juan Castillo @JuanCastilloAAS

Sunday

Oct 13, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2018 at 7:32 PM

With their particular blend of devotion immersed in the Bible, prayer, chanting and silence, the Taizé monks are something like spirituality’s version of rock stars, drawing 100,000 young people each year to their ecumenical monastery in France.

But last week at First Baptist Church of Austin, Brothers Emmanuel and Emile hardly looked the part, dressed casually in warm earth tones and carrying backpacks as they sat down for an interview with the American-Statesman. The night before at the church, they had led a special service that drew about 200 people.

In Austin to begin preparations for a Taizé pilgrimage at First Baptist next March, one that could attract hundreds if not thousands of young adults, Brother Emile, 57, and Brother Emmanuel, 42, cheerfully answered questions about their monastic lives, the appeal of the Taizé monks, their history and a future increasingly focused on taking their worship abroad, travel that will take them next spring to three Texas cities, including Austin on March 21-23.

Founded in 1940 by Brother Roger, a Swiss Protestant theologian who died in 2005, the Taizé monks hid Jews and resistance fighters from the Nazis. In time the monks became known for their efforts to awaken spirituality among young people in Europe.

Statesman: What is it about the Taizé monks which makes them so appealing to young adults?

Brother Emile: If you ask young people, you generally hear two things: They like the prayer that is made up mostly of singing. We create a space where they can search. There’s a lot of song, but also a lot of silence and, of course, Scripture reading.

The second thing you hear a lot is, "We come to meet other people who are searching." There’s a climate of trust that allows people to open up. Sometimes people say, "Well, I’ve said things I’ve never said before." The prayer created that climate of trust.

Brother Emmanuel: One important dimension is listening. No matter what will be their righteous convictions, whatever be their past, they will be always welcomed without being judged.

Statesman: In the United States, there is an increasing number of people who say they have no religious affiliation. Does Taizé hope to tap into that?

Emile: In Europe you have the same. Many people say they would like a spiritual life, but they’re afraid of institutions. I think our role is to make them less afraid of religious institutions, that we cannot just live a spiritual life as individuals; no, we need community.

Statesman: Taizé is a community of Catholic and Protestant denominations. What are your own religious backgrounds?

Emile: We’re both Catholics. … Taizé is an ecumenical place not where we discuss ecumenism or where we discuss the differences between denominations. It’s more a place where people come to pray and think together and draw from the Gospel and try to face the challenges of today.

Emmanuel: Brother Roger wanted to open an immediate path for reconciliation. He knew young adults are impatient with institutions, so he thought it could be possible to work together on a path of reconciliation where you remain faithful to your denomination, and at same time, you prepare the way for reconciliation among divided Christians.

Statesman: What is a typical day like for you?

Emile: There’s no typical day, because we have maybe 40 weeks of the year where there are quite a number of people coming to Taizé. One hundred thousand come every year to spend a week. What doesn’t change is the prayer. That’s always morning, midday and evening. Some of us will be called to give Bible reflections in the morning. That’s how the day starts with the young adults, a Bible reflection given by a brother. We give workshops on specific themes in the afternoon. Then we earn our living.

(The monks do not accept donations. They work a few hours each day making pottery, writing or publishing books, recording music or making enamel crosses, which they sell to visitors.)

Statesman: Some might have the perception that the monastic life is lived in solitude, but that’s not what you’re describing.

Emile: It’s really about community. It’s not about solitude alone. The Acts of the Apostles says of the early Christians, they had one heart, one mind. I think that’s the aim. It’s never a reality, of course. We’re never perfectly one because we’re human beings. (He laughs.) But that’s the direction we try to journey towards.

Statesman: Can you tell us more about plans for your event in Austin next March? I understand there will be workshops on current topics.

Emile: Young people come to Taizé not only to pray, but to think about how to be present in today’s society. It often means some type of commitment where there is suffering, where there is need. Some of the workshops we do during the gathering in Austin will also be on questions of social justice, raising the question, "How can Christians be present?"

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